I took Paul Thomas Anderson for granted as a filmmaker. The ’90s had so much new burgeoning talent exploding into cinemas that even as I watched Boogie Nights in high school, it almost felt par for the course. I watch his films, see the incredible filmmaking with great actors, and sit there thinking, “Yeah, that was dope,” and not give it a second thought. Yet, after all the things that have happened in the last five years, shoot, and the previous nine months, I’ve had a lot to think about in terms of appreciating the creative expenditures of artists across disciplines. While PTA’s last film was Licorice Pizza, a coming-of-age comedy that was like a lost artifact from a time when nostalgia wasn’t about toys we were sold but about the experiences people had, One Battle After Another had something to say, not about the past, but right now and possibly our near future.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn, One Battle After Another is an expansive epic film, which is based on Thomas Pynchon‘s 1990 novel, Vineland. DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a former member of the revolutionary group the French 75, but is now a washed-up, never completely sober, and constantly paranoid father of teenage Willa, played by Infiniti. Their lives are turned upside down when Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Penn, finally finds Bob, who has been hiding for years, and causes Bob and Willa to get separated. Bob tries to find her while societal upheaval happens around them.
LEONARDO DI CAPRIO as Bob Ferguson in “One Battle After Another.” A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. PicturesThe core thread of this film is the story of a family, particularly of a single dad and his teen daughter who’s coming of age. However, the story is a lot more violent and traumatic than other coming of age stories you’d see for a teenager. In some ways, Willa’s learning about the world is the same arc as the main character in PTA’s Licorice Pizza. The main difference is just how different the worlds are from each other.
The film starts, though, with Bob in the French 75 and in love with Willa’s mother and his wife, Perfidia Beverly Hills, played by Taylor. As the very heart of their group, Perfidia is a charismatic and passionate force that draws people to the group’s cause. This magnetism draws the attention of Col. Lockjaw, who is more than enamored with Perfidia as much as he wants to capture her. Penn plays this man as a boiling kettle of desire, shame, and disgust. He does amazing things with his face in how it moves and tics on screen. The walking gate and body language he uses build so much to his character and how he communicates that on the screen.
This film is one of my favorite DiCaprio performances at this point in his career. As he gets older, I think he excels at portraying anxiety-ridden and insecure men who are completely in over their heads, who somehow manage to continue on. He does this here, while playing Bob, who at times feels like a character that should be in stoner movies. While at times the character is humorous, it never betrays the gravity of the situation he’s in. The entire time, you can feel the stress and worry he has as he’s trying to find his daughter.
(L-r) CHASE INFINITI as Willa Ferguson and REGINA HALL as Deandra in “One Battle After Another.” A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. PicturesSince I never watched the Presumed Innocent remake series on Apple TV+, this is my introduction to the actress Infiniti. She’s fantastic here as a kid thrown into an extreme circumstance. Infiniti plays Willa as an intelligent young woman who keeps things close to the vest, watches more than she speaks, and can handle themselves. A large part of her character’s journey is learning more about her mother than what her father told her. She learns of her origins and figures out how she wants to move within the world thereafter. She realizes that “maybe my dad wasn’t just tripping” all along. It’s a fantastic debut for an actress who will be talked about in the upcoming awards run for films early next year.
Taylor is captivating on screen and overpowers whatever scenes she’s in. I think a lot of people who will see this film won’t be familiar with her and her work. For those who are, it’s pleasing that she’s getting the opportunity to show off her talent on such a big stage. She’s very believable in her scenes with DiCaprio and Penn. Hall, as Deandra, is also getting another chance to shine in a dramatic role. Mostly known for her excellent comedic roles, it’s these chances where she gets to do drama that I really look forward to. While I wish she were in it more and more, given to her character the times she’s on screen working with her co-stars, she more than holds her own.
TEYANA TAYLOR as Perfidia in “One Battle After Another.” A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. PicturesDel Toro is entertaining in this role as Sergio St. Carlos, Willa’s sensei, and an underground leader protecting and shepherding his community. He’s a perfect straight man to DiCaprio’s Bob, who’s completely at wits’ end trying to evade Lockjaw and get to his daughter. Completely calm and measured, with some perfect shots of his face, you can tell many thoughts are going through his mind without judgment, and also keeping on top of everything going on, as the people class with the state at the same time kept me very engaged.
PTA is at complete mastery of his skills here, directing, producing, and writing this film, and with cinematographer Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another has some of the best shots I’ve seen all year. At the film’s start, there is a shot from the perspective of being on an overpass that hasn’t left my mind since leaving the theater weeks ago. The score is robust and leaves an impression even on a person like me who doesn’t pay attention to the score that much.
I think people may have issues with the blurry politics of the film, or the lack of a hard explanation of what’s going on in the world of the film, and that’s something to be talked about. In some ways, it’s very on the nose, and in other ways, it’s pretty subtle. However, One Battle After Another is easily one of the best films that’s been released this year. It’s also one worth seeing in the theater in the largest format you can see it in.
English (US) · 